dawdles

verb

present tense third-person singular of dawdle
1
as in lingers
to move or act slowly if you continue to dawdle, we'll be late for sure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lazes
to spend time doing nothing accused the city council of dawdling even as the crime rate was spiraling out of control

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dawdles But Koreeda dawdles over all that without ever finding much dramatic nuance, making for a dullish midsection. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026 But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdles
  1. lingers
  2. idles
  3. delays
  4. relaxes
  5. drags
  6. rests
  7. crawls
  8. strolls
Verb
  • Inside Fort Worth's Cowboy Coliseum, a historic 1908 indoor rodeo venue in the heart of the city's famous Stockyards, the gunpowdery smell of pyrotechnics lingers in the air.
    — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Sorsby eventually withdrew from college and gave up the fight, but the lawsuit lingers on — triggered by a state court order that had temporarily allowed Sorsby to play despite the NCAA longtime ban of players who gamble.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of lingers
Verb
  • As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of idles
Verb
  • So pretending imbalance isn't happening — like when one partner is regularly absorbing all the work and smiling through it — just delays the same resentment that often festers in exchange relationships.
    — Mark Travers, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • That is not only a problem for expanding power grid infrastructure to support growing electricity demand, but also delays the process of replacing aging power transformers.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of delays
Verb
  • And then of course the jacuzzi, which releases tension and relaxes the muscles.
    — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The advocates argue that the bill relaxes age-verification requirements and includes an advertising carveout for Google.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of relaxes
Verb
  • As the conflict drags on, damage to the Middle East will extend far beyond infrastructure.
    — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
  • And while American and Israeli strikes have battered Iran for months, the conflict has also taken a toll on Pentagon resources and American lives as the war drags on.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of drags
Verb
  • But as Bengals fans know all too well, this season rests on whether Burrow can stay healthy.
    — Takashi Williams, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The receiver-in-canal (RIC) design has a main body that rests behind the ear.
    — John Higgins, The Verge, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers have developed a new control framework that enables humanoid robots to perform agile movements, including army crawls, breakdancing and backflips.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawls
Verb
  • Erika Girardi strolls in, followed by Teddi Mellencamp and her new Rachel Maddow power-lesbian haircut.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Reacher is a behemoth who strolls into towns in the South and the American heartland.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of strolls

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Cite this Entry

“Dawdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdles. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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